Soulmates
by soulsearcher1197
Summary: I have encountered many souls in my life. Well actually, we all do. It's just that I'm aware of them.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey fanfic fam! It's been quite a while, a few years actually. I'm definitely open to critique, and confusion, whatever. Thanks for taking the time to read through this! Disclaimer: I have quite a few OCs but nevertheless, you know the drill. Jack's not mine.**

* * *

I have encountered many souls in my life. Well actually, we all do. It's just that I'm aware of them.

Souls are a funny thing, they kind of go from one person to another. I don't know if they choose their destination, but when they settle into the first consciousness of life, it _becomes_ that life. Typically in a lifetime, you would never meet the same soul in two different people. Each person has a single soul, that soul is theirs. It remains theirs forever, but moves on and is constantly moving forever. Looking at the timeline of history in the other direction, a soul has existed since humanity has. When the soul leaves a body, it doesn't necessarily find another home right away. It may wait around, breathing in the universe. It does happen though. A restless soul may jump from one home to another. Many times instead, it will rest from its lifetime commitment to a human and wander until it is summoned to bring life into the blood and veins of another life, maybe tomorrow, maybe in two centuries. Even rarer of a case, the moon deems a soul worthy enough to live on forever.

The cycle repeats indefinitely.

* * *

A flurry of snowflakes danced in the stinging cold.

"I bet I can dig the deepest snow tunnel!" the bonnet-laden girl named Avelynn exclaimed as she dove beneath the fresh powder. The snow automatically stung her face like a million needles, and she instinctively gasped, accidentally sucking snow into her nose and throat. She quickly surfaced to the sound of her two older brothers' laughter, her face red with embarrassment and cold-flush. She quickly retaliated by packing a snowball and hit her oldest brother Caleb square in the face.

Wintertime was Jack's favorite time of the year, and he tended to follow the path of the biting weather. Jack smiled from the bare branch he was sitting on above the three children, satisfied with the fresh blanket snow.

"Oh yeah?" Ivan, the younger brother taunted, brushing snow off his shoulder. "I bet you can't do this!" He proceeded to quickly pack a snowball together and throw it at the branch Jack was sitting on. Jack easily dodged the snowball, which was actually destined for the snow on the branch, but he pretended they were playing dodgeball with him.

The snowball hit aim and the untouched snow from the branch plopped onto Avelynn. The two boys once again succumbed to a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

"Hey, that's not fair." Jack spoke aloud, as if they could hear him. Jack floated over to the branch where the boys, laughing in a fit of hysterics, were standing under. With his staff, he shook the branch in such a manner that the frosty contents of four high branches dumped onto the knit hats of Caleb and Ivan. Avelynn tumbled backwards in laughter.

Jack too chuckled to himself before dismissing his presence to lounge around someplace else. He floated above the canvas of trees and sped away with the wind, greenery blurring past him. He reached the nearest town as the sun began heading west.

Following his nose, he reached a bakery and proceeded to wait for an unsuspecting person to open the door for him. _Ding ding._ The bell attached to the door frame rang whenever a customer came strolling in. Before getting a chance to even rush in after the middle-aged man who just entered, he heard desperate footsteps approaching him. Maybe not towards _him_ but in his direction.

A young woman no older than nineteen sprinted for the bakery from across the street as well as she could in the ankle deep snow. With a distressed look on her face, she pulled her petticoats up upon reaching the curb whilst holding onto a shoulder bag. Whistles and catcalls followed her as she ran into the bakery in hopes of some sanctuary.

Completely forgetting his plans of -well, he didn't even remember what his plans were anymore- he glided over to where a group of five "men." Rather they were young men just about to exit boyhood, ladened with stupidity and youth.

 _Ding ding._

The bell rang again. Not wanting to take anymore chances of missing the door, he turned around in a flurry of wind. He then flew inside to follow a middle aged women exit the facility, carrying the wind with him into the bakery.

"Close that door! You're going to let the cold in." From behind the counter of baked goods, a woman screeched at the poor soul nearest the door. The door was promptly shut, papers were picked up, and the buzz of the room hushed. Once again the room filled with the casual mumble and murmur of people.

Jack strolled through, observing how people reacted to him. No, no one in the room could see him. At least that was what he thought. He wasn't quite sure though, everyone he asked never did answer. But instead, he loved knowing that the cold and the wind were always following him as if an air of ice always surrounded him. Taking his place on an empty table in the room's corner, he observed the crowd. He loved the livelihood nature of crowds. Something suddenly called for his attention in his peripheral vision, the young woman.

Even though she couldn't see him, he kept his distance in observing her. She sat at the other end of the room at an empty table in another corner. Her nose was seemingly stuck to a worn leather-bound book, hands still shaking away the cold. Her auburn hair softly glowed the color of firelight, her eyes squinting to read whatever fine print was on the page. Her shoulder bag was stuffed with four loaves of freshly-baked bread, still warm from the oven. Nervously, she glanced outside.

"She's worried about those guys outside." Jack realized, recognizing the agitation that saturated her movements. The young men still stood outside across the street, laughing with anything _but_ joy.

"Not today, boys." Jack mumbled under a fiery breath, eyes as cold as ice. He walked through the window leaving the slightest trail of frost at the edges, not caring for cunningness this time. Looking to make sure the street was empty, he swept his arms into the air and pulled in a raw gust of wind, bitter and cold. He then crossed the street and dragged his staff along the edge of the curb, a fresh coat of slick frost glistened in its wake. Caught off guard by the sudden change in the weather, the five of them slipped over onto the ice-slicked road. Wait? How did that ice get here, thought one of the boys.

Jack looked back at the young woman through the outside window. She was politely covering her mouth, unsuccessfully disguising the fact that she was now the one laughing at them. Tumbling and clumsy in the newfound slipperiness, the five boys limped towards the pub down the street, cursing the snow and the ice.

"You're welcome!" Jack said after them as he fell back into the dying wind. Just as suddenly the wind started up, it receded back into nothing but a chilling breeze.

 _Ding ding._

 _"_ So long, Jane!" a voice rang from the open bakery door. Jack's head snapped to the wooden door.

"Goodbye, Missus," she replied with a wave of her hand.

"Jane," Jack whispered under his breath.

Jane looked around skeptically, trying to logically understand how the wind swelled and fell in such a short amount of time. Cautiously looking around, she wrapped a red scarf tightly around her neck and proceeded towards an unknown destination.

Jack cautiously floated above her, curious of where she would be heading at such a late hour. Any light that would be in the sky was absorbed by the sun, and the reign of the moon was to begin any moment. The sandman would soon get to work, gracefully pulling strings of light to form the most purest of dreams from children all over the world. Maybe he would stay in the town to watch the fireworks. Realizing that Jane was already out of his sight, he decided against staying and followed her through the woods.

"Don't the leaves look beautiful with this frost?" she spoke to herself, commenting at the intricate works of ornamental ice she saw on the leaves. Jane often did this to keep herself company during these lonely journeys.

"Why thank you, Jane. I quite like doing leaves." he responded, wishing she would answer.

"If only it were like this more of the year." she sighed. Her footsteps crunched over a patch of older snow as she headed over to a small village over the final hill.

"I quite do agree." he said. "It is rather lovely, as I do make the frost and stuff."

The two walked the rest of the way quietly. The sky began to dim, turning the clouds a dark blue-gray color. Just as her destination neared, the sound of a sled rumbled the ground. The two stopped on their journey. She looked around to find the source of the sound; he instinctively floated up to the sky. Sure enough in a few moments, a horse-drawn sled pulled a father and his daughter. The girl lay motionless on the sled, almost exposed if not for a thin sheet that covered her.

"Please help me! Please help my daughter!" He cried to Jane.

"What is the matter, sir?"

"She fell sick. We live in the country side, there is no one else there. I had to take her where we may find food or shelter."

Jack felt his stomach grow heavy at the sight of the young girl, no older than six. Jane automatically pulled off her cape, scarf and hood and put them on the ice cold girl. She didn't even feel the cold, her blood on fire with adrenaline and her mind focused on one thing, saving the girl.

"Come, this way!" she exclaimed, pointing to the small town where her home was. The father motioned Jane to quickly jump onto the sled, which she obliged. They raced through the last downhill stretch towards the village. Jack raced after them from high above, not wanting to bring in anymore wind onto the young girl. Upon reaching the town, they made a sharp turn into a modest townhouse. Peeking through the window, Jack looked as Jane pulled her mother in from another room. They prepared warming medicines and settled the young girl onto a bed, covering her in warm furs. Within a few minutes, the girl began stirring. Her father, attentively on guard, breathed a sigh of relief when her small eyes opened.

"Daddy, what happened?" Her voice was soft, innocent, barely audible over the sound of the wind howling outside.

"You will be okay, love. Rest now." He replied assuringly.

Jane returned with a warm bowl of broth and a chunk of fresh bread.

"Please, stay as long as you need. She may share bunk with my younger sister in the other room if it pleases you. A fire is running and we have dry clothes ready."

Any traces of anxiety that creased the father's face melted. "If there is anything I can do to pay back, you will have it. I can never thank you enough." He said in a hush tone, noticing that his daughter was drifting back to sleep. The time was still six in the evening, the family dinner was almost ready. Jack felt a presence behind him, and turned around to see two boys racing towards the door.

"Hey, it's you two again." Jack said, nodding at Caleb and Ivan in familiarity. They stormed inside with a ruckus, snow trailing their steps.

"Boys!" their mother whisper-shouted as best as she could without waking the sleeping girl. "I want you to wash up and wash up quickly. We have guests."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to the awesome possums who are reading this! Enjoy!**

* * *

The two boys suddenly hushed at the sight of the girl in the room, quieted with sleep. Their mother's stern face was the only thing they needed to scurry up to their own room and obey their mother's orders.

"I'm sorry about my boys," she apologized to the man. "They are quite the handful."

"No need to apologize," he replied as he looked outside the window, snow beginning its descent on the earth for what seemed to be eternity. Jane popped back into the room from an adjacent room.

"Dinner should be ready soon. Please feel welcome to join us." Jane whispered, mindful of the sleeping girl.

Within a few minutes, everyone was crammed around the crowded table. Jane, her mother, two brothers, her little sister Adelynne, and now a guest prayed for a blessing before digging in. Nightfall soon fell, and the little girl on the bed stirred to life again.

Jack decided that this was probably a happily ending story, and he no longer was entertained by whatever commotion was going on earlier. He went through the village, sliding his finger along the edge of windows here and there, leaving graceful trails of frost. He went on like this through the night until...

* * *

Back at the house, new sleeping arrangements had to be made. It was finally decided that the little girl's father slept in the front room, and Jane, Adelynne, and the young girl slept in the upper room.

After poking around, Jane finally found the little girl's name to be Kai. She was doe-eyed with bright green pupils that illuminated her face once she sipped some of the warm broth and ate the bread for dinner. Although weak, her body was a little warrior. Adelynn and Kai automatically got along. Adelynn began to excitedly explain the winter festival that was to happen in a few days. Kai exclaimed that she was supposed to be going there with her cousins. Before the extra sleeping mat was prepared for Jane, the two of young girls wouldn't stop talking.

"Girls, it's late and we've had a long day." Jane said softly, motioning them to their beds.

"But we're talking about snow!" Adelynn exclaimed, her hands waving her arms extravagantly to reflect her emotions. The two giggled at Jane's surprised but pleasant expression.

"How about I'll read you a bedtime story about snow?" Jane replied thoughtfully, pulling out a book from her bag. It was the leather-worn book that Jack saw earlier at the bakery.

"Ooh ooh ooh! I know that story!" Kai jumped in upon seeing the book. "My daddy read it to me last week!"

"Don't spoil it for me!" Adeline almost screeched, even jarring Jane back to full awareness.

"Okay, okay. I'll read it to you. The only rules are that you have to be quiet, and listen, and be in bed."

"Awhh." The two groaned, but succumbed to her instructions and crawled into their beds.

"Once upon a time..."

* * *

Jack was almost finished with his whole run around the town. He even had time to glance into the sky to see the beginnings of the glowing trails of sand in the sky. Before even realizing it, he was back at Jane's house. Knowing that all the downstairs windows were already frosted, and also thanks to his curiosity of the happenings inside the house, he floated onto the roof to frost the last upper room. It was Jane's voice, penetrating the cold, that drew him to a certain window.

"And Jack Frost was his name." she read from the book.

"Jack Frost? Is he like Santa?" Adelynn asked softly, fighting off the grips of sleep.

"No! He's like a fairy!" Kai whispered, also trying to keep from dozing off. "He kinda flies around, right Jane?"

"Really. A fairy?" Jack muttered outside, relaxing his hands onto the window's frame. He sat onto a roof conveniently by the window and listened to the story about, well, himself.

"Well, almost." Jane said, smiling as she read the rest of the legend.

"But." Adelynn once again interrupted. "Is Jack Frost as real as Santa?"

Jane thought about it for a second, thinking of a clever answer. Neither Santa nor Jack Frost were real. "Well. I definitely believe he is. There's no way that those frosty winter leaves are made by chance." The two girls giggled.

Just as Jane was about to turn the page, she heard the sound of soft snoring, probably from Adelynn. It was then followed by the even, soft, breathing of a sleeping child; that was probably Kai. She sighed softly and turned the lamp down to barely a glow.

"Oh well then. I'll just read the rest of it tomorrow." she whispered as she closed the book gently and set it back into her bag.

Jack, in a way that was definitely not stalker-like, observed her every movement as much as possible though a window. The way she buttoned the bag, the way she tucked the covers tighter around both young girls. The way she was coming towards the window.

 _Coming towards the window?_ Jack's mind automatically snapped out of the gaze, seeing that she was heading straight for him. Or not actually him. _Oh yeah, she can't see me._

She looked discontentedly at the window. Frost was somehow seeping between the cracks of the wooden frame and the window itself. "I need to get that fixed," she muttered under her breath. She took out a block of wood that she typically would use to cover the crack in the case of leaking water from a storm, never for frost. It was worth a try, though.

Taking the a small lamp with her, she walked towards the window. She set the lamp on the other side of the windowsill and got to work in lodging the wood into the crack.

"Funny, I'll remember next time that a Jack Frost story probably isn't the best story to read while he's out doing his work." She spoke to herself, smiling at the thought. Jack Frost. "Oh Jack, look at the mess you made." She chuckled, noting how frost has somehow crept past the crack and onto the windowsill itself. "You got frost inside. Now that I mention it, that hasn't ever happened before."

"Not my fault-" Jack threw his hands up in the air extravagantly, floating away temporarily only to come back to see Jane looking out _at him_.

"Oh my goodness."

Jack suddenly became struck with paralysis at how directly into his eyes she was staring. She was just a foot away, looking through the window. He snapped out of his shock at suddenly turned around to make sure that she was not looking at something through him.

"Oh my goodness." Jane said again, this time her voice faint more than fear.

"Oh my goodness what?" Jack said, wide eyed in worry. "What, you can see me-"

 _He's floating. And has a staff. And a cape. What the hell is going on._ Jane's mind flipped through a series of consecutively passing thoughts before she heard Jack's last words.

"-believe you can see me." His hand ruffled through his hair as he was trying to piece everything together.

"Wait what?" she replied disoriented, trying to figure out who this snowy-haired figure was.

"My you are slow." She grunted at his response. Suddenly he burst into playful laughter. "I'm just teasing. I guess I'm nervous. No one's spoken to me for about a decade... or so? Yeah I think a decade..."

Jane tried as hard as she could to comprehend what the guy was saying, but his everything became too distracting.

"Okay. See!" he flew back, holding out his arms. "I'm harmless. Let me start from the begin-"

One of the girls suddenly roused in her bed. Jane put her hands up, harshly hushed him, and pointed to a balcony. Kai, as it turned out, mumbled something undistinguishable and fell back into motionless sleep. Not wanting to risk waking the little ones, Jane scurried down the hall to the balcony in curiosity of what was happening. Her coat was still wrapped around Kai as she slept, so she walked outside in her nightgown.

"Hey, you came back! I am glad to see you again." He welcomed her onto the balcony, extending a hand to shake. She was hesitant at first, but shook his hand. Immediately, she could feel cold radiating from his palm.

"Are you always this cold?" She asked dumbfounded.

"I'm not sure. No one's ever told me otherwise." He smirked, a glint of sadness embedded in his eyes.

"Wait wait wait. Start from the beginning again." She said, referring to what he was saying earlier.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that." He sheepishly grinned and stepped back. "Good evening, m'lady. My name is Jack Frost." He bowed extravagantly, sweeping his arm behind him in mock-chivalry.

Jane chuckled. Suddenly a realization dawned on Jane. "I must be dreaming. You're not rea-"

"No wait!" He said, putting his hand over her mouth almost instinctively. Surprised at the sudden contact, both Jane and Jack awkwardly pulled away.

"You can only see me if you believe in me." His voice was barely over a whisper.

"Oh," her face dropped, realizing why he was so excited earlier when she first saw him. "So no one's seen you before?"

"Never."

"And you want me to believe that no one can see you because..."

"Why would I lie?"

"Not a fairy." She teased at him. Jack's face crinkled into a grimace. "Well you do fly."

"Yeah, I kinda need to. I mean, frost isn't only on the ground." He grinned, his teeth also as white a freshly fallen snowflakes.

"Okay." She replied, not knowing where her conversation was going.

"Let's do something fun!" He suddenly changed the topic.

"I need to watch the little ones." She said, a sad smile took form on her lips.

"We can sit here." He said, motioning on a pillow of snow on the ground. "I mean, I prefer frost but mother nature is pretty good at her job, too."

"My feet are freezing," suddenly she looked down at her toes, now numb with cold. She looked at Jack, who also was bearing no shoes. But unlike her, Jack didn't mind the cold.

"Hold on a second!" He said, shooting away off the balcony. He came back with a pair of heavy boots.

"Where'd you get these?" Jane asked, hesitantly putting them on.

"I have my ways." He smirked at his cleverness. "Oh, and this is for you, too."

"Thank you... I think." Jane said, smiling awkwardly at the heavy cloak.

"Tell me your story." Jack said, cross legged on the ground, leaning forward on his elbows.


End file.
